The creator of teen drama “Dawson’s Creek,” Kevin Williamson, says he’s “so thankful” to have had the chance to spend some with James Van Der Beek before the actor’s tragic passing.
Per People, Williamson was speaking on the March 5 episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s “I’m Having an Episode” podcast when he explained, “I was able to reconnect with him in these last years in a very special way, and I am so thankful for that.”
Williamson went on, describing the pair’s early meetings. He said, “It’s so funny because I can just go back to meeting him when he was auditioning. I said, ‘You’re really mumbling. Can we stop the mumbling and just enunciate?’ He thought I was such a brat. But he was so smart and he was so analytical.”
He went on, “He asked me, ‘So tell me about this show and where is it going?’ Well, we’re shooting a pilot. We don’t know. But he wanted to know if there was a series, where it would go. So [I] tell him, ‘You’’’re Dawson. It’s your Creek.”
The “Scream 7” director — and, per IMDb, the writer of the likes of “Scream,” “Scream 2,” and “Scream 4” — added “Then he asked, ‘What does that mean? I want to be Spielberg, but do I ever make a movie? Am I a nerd?’ So I tell him, ‘You’re me. You’re going to be a big nerd.'”
It was a lovely insight into the relationship between Williamson and Van Der Beek.
James Van Der Beek Called Kevin Williamson the ‘Most Supportive Person’
A video has recently re-emerged online courtesy of the ATX TV Festival Instagram account, the caption of which says James Van Der Beek believed Kevin Williamson was “the most supportive person he’d ever met in an audition” — something that reaffirms William’s insinuation that the pair’s relationship was a wholesome one.
In the 70-second video, Williamson and Van Der Beek describe the humorous situation in which they decided on Dawson Leery’s haircut for “Dawson’s Creek.”
Van Der Beek explains Williamson had his assistant drive all over town until she arranged for the actor to visit her own hairdresser. Given that the assistant had a purple mohawk, Van Der Beek was understandably concerned about the style they had planned for him.
Ultimately, they decided to model Dawson’s hair on Brad Pitt’s in the 1997 action thriller movie “The Devil’s Own,” and the rest is history.
Williamson Paid Tribute to Van Der Been Following His Passing
Kevin Williamson was among the many high-profile figures to pay tribute to James Van Der Beek following his tragic passing on March 11, following a long and brave battle with colorectal cancer.
On March 12, Williamson took to his Instagram account to share his thoughts with his 124,000 followers. The post contained four photographs of Williamson and Van Der Beek together.
The caption to Williamson’s post began by addressing Van Der Beek’s wife, Kimberly. It said, “To Kimberly, With much love, we are here for you. Your Dawson’s Creek family will always be here for you and your beautiful family.”
Williamson’s caption continued, “To everyone, thank you for your outpouring of love. It has been felt. Several times today, from my heart, I’ve tried to form the words to express the beautiful brilliance of James and what his presence has meant to my life. But I am truly at a loss for words. I will have to trust that one day those words will come… But today, all I can think about is Kimberly and the entire Van Der Beek family. My heart is with you. K.”
We sincerely hope Kevin Williamson is coping with the loss of his long-time friend and collaborator.
May James Van Der Beek rest in eternal peace.
